The All-in-One service buying and extended workforce cloud

Compliantly source and manage temp workers, contractors and SOWs in a single, next-gen VMS

How can we help?

Gain full visibility

Reduce cycle times

Save up to 15% in costs

Drive better results

In the near future > 50% of a company’s workforce spend will be on the external workforce

Procurement of services remains the largest dark pool of undermanaged spend

Large spend

  • ‘Invisible workforce’ already accounts for more than 40%
  • Substantial savings opportunities

No transparency

  • Maverick buying
  • Lack of cost and quality control
  • No total workforce visibility

High business risks

  • Worker misclassifications
  • Security risks
  • SOW compliance

Across the globe, in all industries and functions companies are faced with 10 common challenges related to the extended workforce.

Which one is yours?

1. Reduce maverick buying
The challenge:

The buying of contract workers and service providers is often a grey zone. Hiring managers bypass procurement

Issues & Risks:
  • Disparate processes and tools
  • Intransparency, inefficiencies and human errors
  • Time-consuming reconciliation if data is needed
The solution:

A central self-service for hiring managers to request and source any type of service or contingent work across the company

More Details
Benefits:
  • Consistent approach on engaging external workers (e.g. temps, contractors, service providers, consultants)
  • Empowerment of stakeholders to source autonomously with full compliance and transparency
  • Standardized and holistic view on all external services and workers
2. Avoid worker misclassifications
The challenge:

Incorrect status determination or deployment of external professionals: ‘Hide-a-Temp’ or ‘Staffing via SOW’

Issues & Risks:
  • Personal criminal liability and loss of reputation
  • Administrative fines, social security contributions, back taxes that can raise overall workforce costs by 5-10%
  • Co-employment claims: Unintended transition of contingent workers into permanent employment
The solution:

Automated compliance check procedures, approval workflows and anomaly engine to monitor risks

More Details
Benefits:
  • Improved hiring manager experience: Real-time labor decisions and contractual recommendations
  • Reduction of workforce costs by correct classification
  • Scheduled compliance checks, monitoring and triggering of alerts
3. Be prepared for audits
The challenge:

Regulations and standards like GDPR, PCI or HIPAA require safeguarding of sensitive data and privacy

Issues & Risks:
  • Inaccurate and divergent external workforce data due to low visibility and lack of centralized information system
  • Non-compliance with regional tax, labor or privacy laws
  • Without keeping an audit trail fines or legal actions are impending threats
The solution:

Convenient recording of all inputs, modifications and decisions. Proof of proper process implementation

More Details
Benefits:
  • On-demand availability of all documents, approvals, signatures and more
  • Meaningful insight into all activties across the project timeline with easy access to greater detail
  • Configurable user roles and permissions based on need-to-know principle
4. Track the extended workforce
The challenge:

Many industries are forced to handle confidential information and must defend against security threats

Issues & Risks:
  • Loss of know how or stolen assets
  • Security breaches (espionage or sabotage)
  • Quality and compliance risks
The solution:

Supplier and talent engagement tracking

More Details
Benefits:
  • Master worker records of both suppliers, SOW and contingent workers in one place
  • Guided digital on- and offboarding processes
  • GDPR-compliant tracking of former assigments
5. Automate manual burdens
The challenge:

Onerous sourcing processes utlizing a mix of spreadsheets, emails and phone calls

Issues & Risks:
  • Repetitive, manual tasks
  • Time consuming sourcing process: E.g. comparing providers in Excel lists
  • Operational friction due to inefficient, decentral stakeholder communication and media breaks
The solution:

Consumerized shopping experience that enables sourcing of services and contingent work at the speed of business

More Details
Benefits:
  • Near touchless sourcing process through self-serve model, templates and contractual recommendations
  • Husle free journey from request to engage, including supplier matching and intelligent routing
  • Side by side comparison of proposals and benchmarking with past orders
6. Cut 'time-to-fill'
The challenge:

Finding the right supplier or talent for a project in this competitive market is often too time-consuming

Issues & Risks:
  • Email ping pong between stakeholders
  • Business can’t wait: Maverick buying
  • Lose out on top talent to faster competitors or no access to the right sourcing channel
The solution:

A single system that can manage contractors, temps, gig and SOW workers. Access to prequalified talents and suppliers through multiple channels

More Details
Benefits:
  • Recalling of proven high performers. Connectors to external talent pools
  • Job posting and SOW builder guarantee consistency and quality of RFPs. Tiered supplier distribution lists cut time
  • Faster approvals due to increased avenues provided via email
7. Assure competitive rates
The challenge:

Poor quality of taxonomy and catalogue. Market rates largely informed by suppliers

Issues & Risks:
  • Supplier gaming of roles and rates to boost total billings
  • Overpaying for less qualified talent
  • T&M-based SOWs with high rates or different amounts for the same SOW
The solution:

Streamlined job taxonomy linked with rate benchmark. Recommendations for best matching engagement patterns

More Details
Benefits:
  • Rate card mangement based on company-specific job taxonomies and service catalogues
  • Cost of a worker or deliverable measured against internal or market benchmarks (by location, skill set, level,..)
  • Enforced rate card compliance and contractual recommendations (e.g. lower bill rates for roles/workers via staffing companies instead of SOW)
8. Keep running costs under control
The challenge:

T&M blank checks for SOW suppliers. Ballooning budgets. Time consuming  invoice hunting

Issues & Risks:
  • External service provider’s invoices do not match PO
  • Overpayments and budget overruns detected too late, low use of milestone billing
  • Budget shortages result in insufficient project outcomes
The solution:

Automated cost management & governance.  Invoice imports or automated invoicing

More Details
Benefits:
  • Transparency into costs and payments per PO line item and resource including record of all revisions
  • Highly structured work order data incl. intercompany cost allocations and task codes
  • Engagement recommendations (e.g. use of milestone-based pay instead of T&M)
  • Invoice import and matching to the appropriate suppliers, cost centres and projects
9. Validate work and get better quality
The challenge:

No reaction on delivery failures: Quality of work and progress against milestones is not checked sufficiently

Issues & Risks:
  • Scope creep and unsatisfactory work go unchecked
  • Costly rework causing budget overruns
  • Missed deadlines put project and budget at risk
The solution:

Get what you pay for: Open feedback & rewards for good performance and SOW compliance

More Details
Benefits:
  • 360 degree survey for teammates, suppliers and stakeholders. Or keep it simple: 5 star direct evaluations
  • Real-time insights to respond quickly if issues surface
  • Option to implement rewards or performance-based fee arrangements
10. Hire based on proven track record
The challenge:

Re-hiring of service providers who have not met performance or quality standards

Issues & Risks:
  • Personal bias
  • Intransparency, missing track records
  • Insufficient level of expertise and experience in a particular topic
The solution:

Leverage past experiences: Enhanced decision making based on proven qualifications and passion

More Details
Benefits:
  • Merit, skill and experience-based supplier and candidate matching
  • Improved service from partner suppliers and reduced effort through supplier rationalization
  • ”Do not re-hire’ flags if work is unsatisfactory

Arrange a Demo to see how Outerscore can help you

Book a Demo